Lando Norris withstood the pressure of Charles Leclerc to take victory in the Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix, firmly placing himself back into World Championship contention.
Starting from pole position, Norris utilised a sensible two-stop strategy and with the benefit of no major incidents, took the chequered flag from Leclerc, who finished second ahead of Oscar Piastri.
At the start, Norris got away well but so did Leclerc, and after having a look down the outside into Saint Devote, Norris cut him off, locking-up in the process.
On the run out of Portier, Gabriel Bortoleto found himself nose-first into the wall on the approach to the tunnel, having been forced wide by the Mercedes of Antonelli.
The Virtual Safety Car was deployed, with Yuki Tsunoda, Oliver Bearman [both men having started on Soft tyres] and Pierre Gasly all pitted, followed by Bortoleto, who managed to get going.
Racing resumed on Lap 4, with the top 10 so far unchanged. In the space one lap, Norris was already 1.5s ahead of Leclerc, with Piastri five seconds behind his team-mate already.
On Lap 8, Gasly’s race was over, clouting the back of Yuki Tsunoda’s Red Bull at the Novelle Chicane, smashing his left-front suspension and after taking to the run-off, nearly collected the second Alpine of Franco Colapinto.
A matter of millimetres past the yellow flag, Piastri found himself under attack from Verstappen, allowing Norris and Leclerc to pull away.
Nico Hulkenberg, running just outside the points, pitted on Lap 13, followed a lap later by Colapinto. Hadjar would be next on Lap 15.
A shrewed ploy by the Racing Bulls engineers saw Liam Lawson drop the pace in order to give his team-mate a gap, and it worked, with Hadjar returning in eighth place on Softs.
Alonso came in for Mediums on Lap 16, benefitting from the gap created by Lawson to come back out in seventh, as did Ocon, who came back out from his stop in eighth.
Norris makes first stop
Lap 18, and Hamilton was next, opting for Mediums and coming back out in fifth, jumping Hadjar and Alonso, as the former was starting to build a train of cars behind him in sixth.
Norris came in for his first stop on Lap 19, coming out with Mediums and rejoining in fourth. Hadjar pitted for the second time, going until the end on Hards, and coming back out in eighth, just ahead of his team-mate.
Piastri was in next, taking on Hards and coming out ahead of Hamilton, with Verstappen, yet to pit, now in second, five seconds behind Leclerc, who likewise had not yet taken on fresh rubber.
But he would do so on Lap 21, also going for Hards, releasing Verstappen and rejoining behind Norris but ahead of Piastri.
Norris was now six seconds clear of Leclerc on Lap 24, the net leader as Verstappen was yet to pit, complaining his tyres did “not look good” on Lap 27.
The Red Bull came in one lap later, and rejoined on Mediums back in fourth, six seconds behind Piastri and only four in front of Hamilton.
At the back of the pack, Stroll and Bearman were jostling for 16th place, with Bearman launching over the kerbs at Turn 16, costing him momentum as the Canadian’s Aston Martin began to pull away.
With traffic now coming into play, Norris was 5.3s ahead of Leclerc, as Lawson pitted for Softs on Lap 32, coming out ahead of Sainz, as well as jumping ahead of Alex Albon who came in one lap later.
Piastri was still in third but just over six seconds ahead of Verstappen, who had Hamilton lingering five seconds back in fifth.
Bortoleto came in for his third stop on Lap 36, rejoining on Mediums, the first man to take three trips to the pits.
Lap 38, and Alonso’s impressive weekend ended in dismal fashion, the Spaniard parking his smoking Aston Martin at Rascasse.
This promoted his countryman Carlos Sainz into the points, with his team-mate Albon making his second stop on Lap 41, along with Lawson, who rejoined ahead of the Williams in eighth.
Williams tactics rile Russell
Williams were now playing a team game, with Albon releasing Sainz into ninth place, and now beginning to hold-up those behind.
Piastri was picking up the pace, setting the fastest lap on Lap 42, and then a lap later, having a near-miss at Sainte Devote, sliding out of the corner with his left-rear kissing the barrier.
The Australian proceeded to set another fastest lap, as Albon now ensured the remaining seven cars behind him were separated by only eight tenths, with Sainz now seven seconds up the road.
The Anglo-Thai man’s driving was inciting the ire of George Russell, the Brit complaining over radio that the Williams was dangerously slow, as the sister car of Sainz was 13 seconds ahead.
Piastri pitted for Mediums on Lap 49, with Norris following a lap later. He would rejoin behind Verstappen but, crucially, ahead of Leclerc.
Russell had quite enough of Albon, and whilst attempting to overtake, the Mercedes jumped over the kerbs at the Nouvelle chicane and was free.
Understandably, Russell was told to give back the place, but told his team he would not and take the penalty, choosing to stay ahead of Albon whom he described as “driving erratically.”
On Lap 53, Antonelli replicated Russell’s manoeuvre, having to taking avoiding action at the braking point, but immediately gave it back.
Russell’s mood deepened when he was given a drive-through penalty on Lap 55, an irked Brit saying he’d “prefer not to speak.”
Sainz pitted a lap later, rejoining in ninth, just ahead of Russell, taking his penalty.
Norris was now 1.9s behind Verstappen, who was evidently eeking out his Mediums for as long as he could in the hope of a Safety Car.
Hamilton came in for his second stop on Lap 57, rejoining on Mediums in a comfortable fifth place.
With 18 laps remaining, Norris was now right edging closer to Verstappen, but also had Leclerc to think about, the home hero right behind the McLaren, as Piastri set the fastest lap again a further five seconds back.
Back in the Williams pit, Sainz was told that the positions with Albon would be switched again, and replied by telling them he would honour the instruction, but only on the final lap.
Verstappen’s tyre management was looking good, managing to maintain a lead of around two seconds ahead of Norris, but still needing to pit again.
Russell pitted for the second time on Lap 64, rejoining 11 seconds behind Albon.
Norris holds firm to take Monaco victory
At the front, Leclerc informed his team that Norris was “slow,” sensing an opportunity that he could potentially win the race.
Saying his tyres were “dead,” Verstappen continued to hold the lead but by barely a second from Norris, who asked for the whereabouts of Piastri, in the hope he could put Leclerc under some pressure, as he was dishing out a fair bit himself.
Norris was becoming further irritated, saying Verstappen was not racing and continuing to hold him up, as the Dutchman eeked every little bit left from his moribund Mediums.
With now just five laps left, it was becoming increasingly likely that Verstappen would hold on until the last possible moment to pit, as Piastri came into view behind Leclerc.
Verstappen was released slightly, now 2.1 seconds ahead on Lap 75, as Leclerc obserbed that Norris was making mistakes, the Brit still the net leader.
Red Bull’s mechanics finally came out, but it was for Tsunoda, who took his second stop, as Verstappen held on to a 1.5s lead, but now needing to pit with just one lap remaining.
They waited and waited, but Verstappen was finally called in, releasing Norris on the final lap to lead outright, with Leclerc still breathing down his neck, and Piastri in close pursuit behind them.
After a year of candid self-confidence woes, a supposed lack of affinity with the MCL39, and with his team-mate streaking ahead in the championship, Lando Norris mastered Monaco to take his second win of the season.
Leclerc, under the circumstances of his own season, could be pleased with second in his home race, with Piastri’s third place ensuring a damage limitation for the championship.
With Verstappen fourth, Hamilton was a creditable fifth, having started seventh, with Hadjar a commendable sixth in his first F1 outing at the principality.
Ocon scored another good chunk of points for Haas in seventh, with Lawson seventh, as Sainz kept his promise and handed ninth back to Albon, ensuring a double-points finish for Williams.
READ MORE – F1 2025 Monaco Grand Prix – Race Results
